Day 19: The Real Mother
Day 19: The Real Mother is the 19th chapter in the Midori Days Manga and the 9th chapter of the second volume. Summary Shiori, Seiji's neighbor, bothers him a little at the park and follows him home. While she mostly bothers young Seiji, it becomes very clear that some of this is pent up anger between her living step-mother, and her passed mother. When her step-mother shows up to get her for the night, things get very explosive very quickly. Plot Midori and Seiji are sitting in the park and notice the day is kinda cold, however Midori tells Seiji her new outfit is very cozy. Seiji thinks about how the other day Shuichi ruined their trip, so he snagged one of Shuichi's outfits, one that looks much like the Marin outfit. Midori considers sewing "I <3 Seiji" on the dress, however Seiji threatens to throw it out if she does. Without much warning, a child comes rushing at Seiji and grabs him, calling him her big brother and giving him a big hug. Seiji immediately recognizes the girl as Shiori, and is surprised she showed up here. Midori is shocked, however Seiji tells her Shiori is a local neighbor kid that he knows. Shiori asks Seiji if he has a girlfriend yet in a rather snarky way, to which he replies that it is none of her business, something Shiori assumes means "no". Shiori mentions that she has half a dozen guys in her school all confessing their affection for her, but that kids her age aren't interesting to her. She then turns to Seiji and affectionately admits, in a confident way, that she will be his girlfriend whenever he's ready. Seiji blows her off and half-heartedly says thanks, which prompts Shiori to angrily note he's treating her like a child. She grips Seiji's arm, telling him he's the only love she has, and Seiji relents and thanks her for it (while still clearly not taking it too seriously). Midori chuckles to herself, half hidden in Seiji's sleeve, and notes how Seiji really does look like a big brother to Shiori. Shiori reminds him of the fight he had with ten guys, and how despite the odds he still took them all down. She states that's when she knew Seiji was the one for her. Seiji, clearly tired of this, says he's heading home, and Shiori whines about how she's serious about her feelings, which prompts Seiji to loudly respond that he's not going to take these words seriously when they're coming from a kid. Shiori reminds him that in eight years she'll be eighteen and he'll be twenty-five, meaning she'll be a young catch and perfect for him while girls his own age are "over the hill" (a comment that shocks Midori), and finishes by telling Seiji she has a secret to tell him. When he leans in, she kisses him on the cheek. She then jokes that his "dry spell needs some hydration", jokingly mocking the fact that he hasn't been kissed. Seiji lightly bops Shiori on the head in an irritated way and reminds her a kiss from a little kid isn't the same thing as what he is looking for. Shiori tells him not to be shy, however Seiji assures her that he isn't. Seiji then looks down at Midori who, at some point in the conversation, started crying. He looks puzzled and asks why she's crying. Back at Seiji's house, it seems Shiori followed him home. She's playing some kind of fighting game, and has apparently lost several times in a row. Seiji asks her when she's going home, however Shiori quietly admits she isn't going to go home. Seiji starts to tell her that her mother will be worried, however he's cut off as Shiori tells him she doesn't care. "She can think what she likes. That woman... is no parent of mine." Seiji asks her to go on, as he can tell something's bothering her, however Shiori just openly states her dad just got remarried. Shiori mentions her step-mother is very kind and tries really hard to be nice, however Shiori finds herself angrier the nicer she tries to be. Her mother passed away and is in heaven now, and she will never have another mother. Seiji is clearly worried, but doesn't say anything. After a moment, Shiori suggests living with Seiji here at his home, however the conversation is interrupted when the doorbell rings. A woman stands at Seiji's front door, her hands clasped together in front of her. She asks Seiji if Shiori is here as a neighbor said that they saw Shiori come in. Seiji openly admits that she is right here, and Shiori walks up standing next to Seiji with a rather irritated look on her face. She spots Shiori and kindly tells Shiori it's not good to be out so late, but that she made hamburger steak at home. Without missing a beat, Shiori simply tells her step-mother she has no intention of going back home, angrily telling her she won't return to "that house" and that she can "get out of here". Her step mother tries to plead with her, however she's cut off by Shiori who tells her not to dare talk to her like they know each other. She accuses her step mother of faking being a mother when all she wants is to have Shiori's dad to herself. Her step mother tries to refute this, clearly confused and caught off-guard, however Shiori angrily insults her, saying her face makes her sick and that her pretending to be her mother is why. She tells her that she already has a mother, and that it won't be her. She ends by loudly yelling "HAVE YOU GOT THAT?! I'M NEVER GONNA ACCEPT YOU! NEVER!" Clearly having had enough, Shiori's step-mother slaps her across the face and glares at her. Shiori is stunned and surprised, and looks at her step-mother, whose hand has begun shaking. Her step-mother begins crying, her glare gone and replaced with incredible sadness. She falls her her knees and begins crying into her hands, trying to ask Shiori why she doesn't see her efforts to get to know her, but being too upset to properly ask her question between her sobs. Shiori notices what she's caused and shows both a sense of sadness and realization at the severity of what she's done. In the next scene, Seiji gets off the phone with someone, agreeing to take care of Shiori overnight. Seiji looks over to Shiori, who appears to be sulking in the corner. He walks over to her and playfully bops her on the head like he did at the park, mocking the fact that she told her stepmother off and now she's moping over it. Shiori is clearly conflicted, and had no idea her stepmom would cry so heavily. Seiji sits down and tells her that she did because she cares. She came to the house to get her, talked to her, got upset, and got angry because she actually cares about Shiori, blood ties or not. He tells her that even if that woman isn't her real mom and never will be, she should at least try to accept her for who she is: her stepmom. He reminds her that his own parents ignored both Rin and himself for as long as he can remember, so Shiori should count herself lucky. He grabs her head and playfully shakes her a bit, telling her to try and not make her "mom" cry so intensely "after all, it's not like you're a little kid anymore, right?" Emotions from the evening come up, and Shiori cries. The captions state a few days pass, and Shiori and her stepmom are out shopping together. Both her and her step mother seem to be getting along, with Shiori even calling her by "mom", something Seiji is happy for the two of them. Shiori then asks him what his favorite color is. Seiji thinks for a second, then admits it's probably blue. Shiori then laughs and walks off with her stepmom, saying she's going to buy some blue lingerie just for Seiji. Midori looks concerned and turns to Seiji saying "Don't let her show it to you." Seiji angrily responds "No kidding, you idiot!" Notes *The park at the beginning of the chapter is Kusabana Park. *When Shiori dives at Seiji, one can see a slight panty-shot with a visible bear on her underwear. *According to Shiori's math, Shiori is roughly ten years old at the time of her introduction. *"Over the hill" is a phrase to often denote someone is past their prime and will only continue get older and become aged. *Seiji appears to have some kind of soccer poster on his wall. *While the anime adaptation implied Seiji's family and Shiori's family having known each other, this chapter never really indicates if Shiori's parents really know Seiji all that well or were even aware Shiori would go to Seiji's house. Category:Volume 2 Category:Manga Chapters Category:Chapters involving Shiori